husted



' IN VEN TOR.

Patented Feb. 26, '1952 UNITEo snr-Ams PATENT 4-oJFFics =SIGN HarryBusted, St.s Joseph, Mich., "a's's'ig`nor to 'A. T. Tebbe, Si?.JOSeDh,Mich.

vide a sign in which the lettersfnu'mbers and other charactersthereonare clearly' discernible 'and easily distinguishable'at-considerable'di'stances at night aswell vas indaylight.

Ancther object of `tlie inventin'is 'to provide fsuch a sign comprisingasheetjne'tal fpanelf'or base plate Vprovided withuniformclsely'arranged, integrally fcprnied protuberancs which'strengthen andrigidify the' si'g'nzand provide re'- ecting and lightdiiusing lele'ments-defining"the 'sign backgroundorfieldwhich-'setsffuand' accentuates the numbers, letters, and'thrcharacters on the sign with r'iaxirnnrnY clarit`yand-fdistinctness.

Such sign characters'may comprise `any arrangement of 'numbersfa'ndorletters together or other creation for ornamental or artistic purposes.It is to be understood, accordingly, that any reference in thisdisclosurel to sign characters in generall applies-to' any matterwhatsoever which may be carried by'a sign in accordance with the presentinvention re'gardless'of the specific formation thereof or the method bywhich 'suhcharacters .mayfbefpiovided ,onl the sign. 4It

affluiy encemplted; further; than such *sign cha'cn'ersbedefined'-Wtneshpef-thjsignfitself as, for example, lin thecase of'roadsigns. in the form of curved arrow indicatinga curve in theroad, or inthe form of a crossdesig'nating an intersection.

A further object of the invention is to' provide a sign of the kinddescribed v'invvhicH the erting and light diffusing 'protubei'ances"comprising the background 'of' the signfa're 'integrally sharp contrastto the characters 'on the 'sign which are painted Vor'otherwisemadenoni'eflective in any suitableway so that the'cont'iast'isf at a 'maximum for 'most effective 4Igibility- 'noth'er f obj 'ct ofthe'invnts" to"rr`vide awsign wccinstruction"'sch`as" described 'in"which the sign .characters arev presented in relief "r 'in .2 raisedprojecting 'relation to vth'e iiell'l or 'background 'of the-'sign toAincrease the 'clarity -au'd visibility 'of I'the Jsign characters.

A further Yolojec'tof :the invention is to provide such a signconstructin in which the sign characters in any vform are outlined -bycontrasting marginal portions which 'set v'out and emphasize the signcharacters in sharp distinction to the background 'of the sign.

Still another object of the invention is to provide various improvements-in signs 'embodying the foregoing features, individually and severally,and the method of `maling such signs in :aminimum 'number of operationsdepending 'on-"the specic form of the sign characters provided, and

which method, in anyins'tance, is admirably suited for theeconomicaliuaiitity production of the signs 'at cmparatively'low cost.

Further objects and advantages-of the invention and othernevv :and'useful features `in the construction 'and arrangement thereof will bereadily appar'ent as the following description proceeds with reference'to the accompanying drawings, for purposes `'of illustration bu't notof limitation, 'in which like :reference 'characters designate likeparts zthrOiIghl'Jut, 'and in 'which Figure lis 'fa iront-view o'f assign provided in accordance with the invention in the manner of anautomobile license "plate, or the like, for example;

Figure 2 is Aa frontvewfon an-'enlarged scale ofa marginahportion ofthesho'vvn in Figure 1;

'Figure 3 is anl enlarged'sectional view of Figure 1 taken on line'3-3'looking :in 'the direction of che arrows; "anu,

Figure`4 is'an enlarged sectional view of Figure 1 'taken on line'df-llookingl'in the direction of mean-uws.

Figures 5, 6 'and 'ares'ectional'views illustrating thesev'er'al stepsinthe method of marking the sign Vs'liownin "Figures 1`4` i'n'clusive,with Figure 5 rlres'nting the-'initial 'step whereby the panel isprovide-d "with 'a surface ofbright, lustrous'material;

'Figure '7 vdiscloses `the Lfollowing step in 'the 'irtlio'd'whereby'thesign is.'p1"ovided with the closely arrange d integrally l"f ormed'protuberances which`rigidifythe panel and deinethe backgrpundortpesign.

Figr illustrates`a"igncnstruction similar to `that of Figures 1 4inciusive in which the. sign rcharacters are raised in relation to theiieldor background'of the sign;

Y Figure 9 represents another form of raised sign characters which arekemployed in the improved sign construction and,

Figure 10 shows a further form of raised sign Y -k characters which arelprovided in a,v sign inV acn cordance With the invention.

Referring now, more particularly, to the drawings, Figure 1 disclosestheV invention as embodied in avehicle license plate, or the like, byway of an example only of one vform or application of Ivery'many towhich the invention maybe put,

as for instance, Vhighway. signs, vehicle warning j signs and signals,and commercial and advertising signs of any purpose or nature. Theinvention comprehends, further, the provision of various sign:constructions in accordance with the instant disclosure which arelsuitable for fastening or attachment to signs already in use asaneconomical procedure for providing such existing signs with reflectiveproperties and other qualities con- ,Y

o Aforming to a uniform standard or code.

7 lThe panel, Vblank or base plateV ofjthe sign, designated generallyYID, preferably is of light to permit ready stamping thereof ,inproviding the; sign with the desired reflecting and'light diffusingelements in accordance with the invention. The finished Ypanel or platemust be stiff 4and relatively rigid in` most instancesand to this end,the integrally formed protuberances or refleetingY elements which arevstamped thereon,

add tothe stiffness and rigidity of thepanel in a completed signstructure. l

The front or' outer face Vof the panel which is exposed to view in acompleted sign is provided 1 with,- a bright, lustrous surface that maybe providedin any desired manner as by a coating Y oi' luminous paint orby a suitable plating operation. Preferably, the panel IU is ofstainless steel which may be readily and cheaply electroplated toprovide the bright lustrous surface on `the panel. It isV alsopreferable that Vchromium plating'be employed to provide such `a brightlustrous surface Yand nickel plating also maybe used butnickel does notmaintain its luster and *brilliancy .as Well as chromium. As representedin Figure 5, the base plate I0 of the sign is plated lnits initiallyfiat form to provide the bright, plated surface I2. The use of stainlesssteel for the base panel I0 is in that it is weather resistant and notsubject to corrosion.V In any case, the metal plate or blank'l and thebright surface I2` thereon should'be non-corrosive and other-V wiseweather resistant in order to adapt the sign =for exposure Vwithout theneedfor a protective covering to protect the same from weather effects.After the initial procedure off providing the panel V,IIIV inits at'form with thebright plated surfaceV I2,V thefsign characters areprovided. thereorrin any suitable manner as bypainting or printing thevsame through theV medium. of a stencil, silk screen, prlntingrollersVand the like.

As previously indicated, the sign characters may comprise anyarrangement of numbers and/orV weight stainlesssteel but may be of anyother suitable sheet metal of suiliciently light .gauge assiomi Figure 7illustrates the next step in the method whereby the entire blank, panelor base plate IIJ, provided with the painted sign characters I5 and I5',is subjected to a stamping operation, `i i either by a die press orroller dies, to form the integral protuberances 2li which cover theentire face of the blank or panel, asv shown in Figure l.`

As illustrated in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the

protuberances 20 are generally diamond-shaped.

blunt elements which are arranged in uniform geometrical design over theentire area of the blank or panel I0. The diamond shaped elements 270are of the same size and configuration and are closely arranged togetherin substantially" edgeV to edge formation in projecting relation to2the'front face of the blank orL panel I0. Accordingly, the front face ofthe blank is predominated by the saidprotuberances 20 rather than bythegslight adjoining plane areas therebetween.

As seen in Figures l andi2, the diamond-shaped protuberances '20 arevdisposed in diagonal I Vparallel rows in edge to edge Yrelation to eachother. The protuberances also are arranged in horizontal rows with theelements in each hori- ,zontal row in StaggeIedneSted, relation totheelements of the immediately adjacent horizontal row of protuberances oneither side thereof.

The invention fully contemplates the provision V of the protuberances inany similar or equivalent design .wherein such elements are relativelyblunt and `little or nospace exists between adjacent protuberances..However, the diamond-shaped design of the protuberances 20. as shown,has.

been found highly satisfactory and mostpractical in that the' stampingthereof may be readily performed without cracking or breaking the obright, lustrous surface I2 orany of the painted areas rsuch as I5, I5..To this end, the diarnond-V I shaped protuberance are made relativelyshallow in relation to their size but suilciently ydeep to provide awell dened curved cross section having' p its convex contour extendingin projecting relation to the outer or front face of the blank ,or` i ii panel. The protuberances 20 otherwise areY all stamped rearwardly outof the plane of the front L or'outer face of the panel I0 to providecomj plete surface of closely arrangedconvex-concave letters I5 -with orwithout a border I5 -or .other creation or design for ornamental" orvartistic purposes. Figure 6 illustates .this step in method whereby theinitiallyflat'blank. or panel IB havvingl the bright lustrous surfaceIZ` is provided with suchv painted sign characters I5 and the borderI5', Figure land 2, or otherpainted design.

or ornamental creation` elements which are integrallyformed on thefrontY face of the blank. Y

As stated, thefront or outer face of the sign Vprovides the outer facethereof with much. great-` erbrilliance and luster than a surface `whichis merelyat. Because of'the outer convexcon- Y* 'tour oftheprotuberancesil, any light impinging on each VprotuberanceY isVreflected as` adiflused fseries of diverging rays and, as a result,thein- K tensity of the .reflection andthe brilliance ofthe reectingsurface is considerably increased. Aco .if

cordingly, in the areas which .are not covered by `tliepain'ted signcharacters such as I5, I5', for

example, the exposed protuberances 20 present abright overall surface 2|by reason ofthe relao tively'smallsize of said, protuberances and theSuch bright surfaces` 2I close spacing thereof. are extremely brilliantwhen light from any source impinges thereon and for all practical pur- Iposes, are asfbrilliant at night as during the day,`

timeL... .n It will be understood, accordingly, that the unpaintedbright surfaces 2| outline and clearly dene the painted sign characterssuch as I5, l5' which are relatively dull and nonreiiecting, andconsequently a sharp contrast is provided. This, of course, sets out thepainted sign characters against the background or field defined by thebright surfaces 2| such that the outline of said characters is clear,distinct and easily discernible.

A sign (construction in accordance with the foregoing preferably isprovided with the painted sign characters I5, l5 applied to the plate orblank in its fiat condition as described with reference to Figure 6inasmuch as the paint may be most easily controlled and preciselyapplied under such conditions. However, if desired, the sign charactersmay be applied after the sign plate has been stamped with theprotuberances but in this procedure care must be taken to insureapplication of the paint into the valleys and narrow surfaces betweenthe adjacent protuberances 20 and also, to guard against undesiredflowing of the paint beyond the intended design.

Figure 8 illustrates a further form of the improved sign Which isgenerally similar in construction and the method of making the same tothat described with reference to Figures 1-7 inclusive. In thisembodiment, a further step in the stamping operation is effected toraise the sign characters above the field or background defined by thebright surfaces 2 l. This serves to make the sign characters even moredistinct and outstanding. By reason of the raised relation of the signcharacters 25, the painted surfaces 26 thereon may be applied eitherwhen the plate is fiat'as described with reference is Figures 1-7inclusive, or, after said raised characters have been formed. Thislatter procedure is readily accomplished by means of a paint wheel orpaint roller adapted to brush the top surfaces of said characters todeposit the layer of paint 25 thereon without contacting or marring thebright surfaces 2| forming the field or background of the sign. In asimilar relation, the tops of the raised sign characters may Abesubjected to a polishing wheel to increase the natural luster andbrilliance of the plated protuberances 20 to a higher degree than thatafforded by the bright surfaces 2| forming the background or field ofthe sign. In this way, the raised sign characters 25 would have adistinct contrast and an inherent greater brilliancy differing from thatof the sign background or field 2|.

Figure 9 represents a further embodiment of the invention in which thetop surfaces of the raised sign characters have a substantially fiatcontour and are provided with a coating of paint 36 by means of a paintroller or'wheel as described with reference to Figure 8. In addition,fiat marginal portions 31 are provided which surround the raised signcharacters thus provided, and these flat marginal positions have apainted surface 38 contrasting to the color of the paint 38 on the topof the fiat surfaces of the said raised sign characters 35. The fiatsurfaces on the tops of the raised sign characters 35, and also the flatmarginal portions 38 bordering the same may be readily provided for inthe same operation by which there are stamped the protuberances 20defining the bright surfaces 2| of the sign background. The iiatsurfaces on the tops of the sign characters may be either painted orpolished in the same manner and for the same purposes described withreference to the form of the invention shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 illustrates another form of the invention in which the raisedsign characters 45 are provided in a manner generally similar to thatdescribed with reference to Figures 8 and 9, and in which the raisedsign characters are outlined by fiat marginal portions 41 having paintedsurfaces 48. The tops of the raised characters 45 may be painted acontrasting color to the painted areas 48 on the flat marginal portions41 when the plate is in its initially flat condition as described withreference to Figures 1-7 inclusive, or by means of a painting roller orwheel applied to the tops of such raised sign characters after they havebeen formed. Similarly, the tops of the raised signed characters may besubjected to a polishing wheel to enhance the brilliance of the platedprotuberances 20' to contrast sharply against the painted marginalportions 48 and the Abright surfaces 2l defined by the platedprotuberances 20 forming the background or field of the sign.

While the invention has been described in detail with specific examples,such examples are intended as illustrations only, since it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications in theconstruction, arrangement and general combination of parts thereof maybe devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.'I'he present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respectsas illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, with all changes falling within the scope, meaning andrange of equivalency of the claim intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States LettersPatent is:

A sign comprising a metal panel having a bright surface area providedthroughout with diamond-shaped protuberances, a painted sign characterpainted over a part of the diamondshaped protuberances in said area,whereby the unpainted diamond-shaped protuberances in said area serve aslight reflecting elements defining the outline of said painted signcharacter, said diamond-shaped protuberances being arranged in closelypositioned rows with the diamondshaped protuberances in each row beingin staggered and nested relation to those in the adjacent rows. wherebyany light striking a face of one of said diamond-shaped protuberanceswill be reflected against a face of an adjacent diamond-shapedprotuberance to provide a brilliant contrast to said painted signcharacter.

HARRY A. HUSTED.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

France May 11, 1932

